Field of the Invention
The invention relates to modular solar systems that comprise one or more module units that are connectable into a system/assembly for convenient installation on a roof or other surface that receives solar insolation. The modules are adapted for electrical, and preferably also mechanical, connection into a module assembly, with the number of modules and types of modules selected to handle the required loads. Each module is adapted and designed to handle the entire power of the assembly and to provide or receive control signals for cooperative performance between all the modules and for monitoring and communication regarding the assembly performance and condition.
Related Art
For AC power systems (and all power systems where there is a load and a supply), the generation (supply power) and demand (load) must be equal. In other words, the Utility Supply must equal the Customer Load. If there is ever a power outage, the re-connection of the circuits after the fault is cleared must be done carefully to assure that the loads are connected in a phased or staged fashion. This assures that the required balance is maintained while restoring power.
AC distribution systems are designed in such a way to allow this. There are distribution systems (with protection in the form of fuses and circuit breakers) with switches to allow each part of the system to be isolated and controlled.
On both sides (supply and demand) of a conventional Utility Grid, therefore, the system is designed in sections or blocks of power to allow for this distribution and equalization. These divisions are isolated by circuit breakers, load centers, distribution panels, transformers and utility substations. This is because the power needs to be carefully distributed from available generation systems that are in turn delivered to quantified loads that are supplied over wiring and distribution circuiting sized to handle the specific power for each circuit.
Solar-powered autonomous devices have been designed for emergency use (for example, during power outage in a hurricane or other catastrophe), or for other non-grid-tied applications, wherein “autonomous” herein means the device is designed for, and relies solely on, solar-panel-charging of batteries or other energy-storage device, without a grid tie. Such conventional autonomous devices do not include the balance of supply and demand that is included in certain embodiments of the invention, and are not modularly-expandable, by connecting multiple modules, as are certain embodiments of the invention. Such conventional autonomous devices are built in a specific system, or “emergency box”, size, and cannot be expanded beyond that single size and power-producing capability. So, such conventional autonomous devices cannot be expanded to serve a larger load than the single “box” size is designed for. The only choice for serving larger loads with such conventional autonomous systems is to buy a bigger system, that is, a bigger, single “emergency box” with higher load-serving capacity.